Your Baby’s Sleep and the Time Change
How to Prepare for the End of Daylight Saving Time
This time of year cooler weather, leaves changing colors, and cozy socks might be popping into your daydreams. However, there is something else that may not be at the forefront of your thoughts that is pretty important. Daylight saving is coming to an end. On November 5th we will “fall back” one hour and our clocks change once again. This means that your little one may seem to go to bed later, but they will also be waking up earlier!
How can you prevent this time change from becoming a big issue for your family? Well, just like when Daylight Saving starts you have a few options of how to prepare! The option you choose should be based on your little one’s sleep sensitivity. Is your child a super sensitive sleeper, a mildly sensitive sleeper, or a laid-back sleeper? Check out the descriptions below, determine which one best describes your child, and follow that schedule. Be sure to keep reading for more helpful information!
Super Sensitive Sleeper
If your little one is a super-sensitive sleeper (meaning any changes or late nights can derail them for several days) you will want to start transitioning to the new time one week ahead of time (starting October 30th). To do this you will shift wake up, naps, bedtime, and mealtimes 10 minutes later each day. For example, if your little one’s normal bedtime is 7:00 PM you would follow this schedule.
October 30: 7:10 PM
October 31: 7:20 PM***
November 1: 7:30 PM
November 2: 7:40 PM
November 3: 7:50 PM
November 4: 8:00 PM
November 5: 7:00 PM
On November 4th, your child will go to bed at 8:00 PM, but in the middle of the night, the time will “go back” one hour. So, if they normally sleep 11 hours, they will be waking at their “normal” time of 6:00 AM.
As a reminder, you will want to not only shift bedtime, but you will also shift wake up, naps, and mealtimes. It is extremely important to shift all activities of the day if you can. This will help your child’s circadian rhythm shift to the new schedule much easier.
*** October 31st is Halloween, so if you plan to partake in the festivities, just have fun and jump right into the plan starting November 1st. Find out how you can best prepare for Halloween night fun HERE.
Mildly Sensitive Sleeper
If your little one is only mildly sensitive when it comes to their sleep schedule, you could start the transition to the new time starting 4 days ahead of time on November 1st. To do this you will shift wake up, naps, bedtime, and mealtimes 15 minutes later each day. For example, if your little one’s normal bedtime is 7:00 PM you would follow this schedule.
November 1: 7:15 PM
November 2: 7:30 PM
November 3: 7:45 PM
November 4: 8:00 PM
November 5: 7:00 PM
On November 4th, your child will go to bed at 8:00 PM, but in the middle of the night, the time will “go back” one hour. So, if they normally sleep 11 hours, they will be waking at their “normal” time of 6:00 AM.
As a reminder, you will want to not only shift bedtime, but you will also shift wake up, naps, and mealtimes. It is extremely important to shift all activities of the day if you can. This will help your child’s circadian rhythm shift to the new schedule much easier.
Laid-Back Sleeper
If your little one is a laid-back sleeper, you can choose to use any transition schedule previously mentioned or you can use the two-day schedule. If you choose to use a two-day schedule, you will start on November 3rd. To do this you will shift wake up, naps, bedtime, and mealtimes 30 minutes later each day. For example, if your little one’s normal bedtime is 7:00 PM you would follow this schedule.
November 3: 7:30 PM
November 4: 8:00 PM
November 5: 7:00 PM
On November 4th, your child will go to bed at 8:00 PM, but in the middle of the night, the time will “go back” one hour. So, if they normally sleep 11 hours, they will be waking at their “normal” time of 6:00 AM.
As a reminder, you will want to not only shift bedtime, but you will also shift wake up, naps, and mealtimes. It is extremely important to shift the entire activity of the day if you can. This will help your child’s circadian rhythm shift to the new schedule much easier.
Parents-Totally-Forgot-About-This Sleeper
The time change sneaks up and surprises you (this is me every year, and I write these blogs). You may wake up and go about your day only to realize the time changed because the time on your phone is different than the time on your stove. Oops. Or perhaps your little one lets you know because they wake up at what seems to be an hour earlier than normal. Ouch!
What now? It is obviously too late to prepare, right? While it is too late to prepare, you can react quickly.
Start your day by reseting your mindset to fit the new time. Do meal times at the new time, go about your normal activities at the same time, and get naps and bedtime going at the same time. So, if bedtime two days ago was 7:00 PM, you will do bedtime at 7:00 PM. If nap time was at 1:00 PM, you will do nap time at 1:00 PM. No need to try to do math in your head and recalculate the day’s events based on what yesterday day was and what tomorrow will be. Just go with the flow and reset your mind to the new time.
This new schedule may take a few days for your child’s body to adjust to. Heck, it will probably take your own body some time to adjust, as well! You may notice that your little one is continuing to wake up an hour earlier each day. This should subside after a few days up to about two weeks. It just takes time. Be sure to reevaluate the sleep environment and stay consistent with your child's schedule.
Additional Information for All Sleepers
Be sure to take advantage of the sunlight during the early part of the day. Get your little one outside in the morning and/or early afternoon. There will be less sunlight in the evening.
You will more than likely experience early morning wake-ups during this transition and for a few days after DLS ends. Do your best to not respond or get your child up until their “new” wake-up time.
Ensure that your child’s sleep environment is perfect. Help to decrease the chances of an early wake up by ensuring their windows are totally blacked out.
There may also be an increase in crankiness since you are shifting your little one’s entire schedule.
If your toddler uses an “Okay to Wake” clock, be sure to set it to the new wake-up time each night before bedtime.
Do this same time shift for yourself and other children to make the entire time change easier for the whole family!
Conclusion
Sometimes no matter how much preparation we do, our little ones still seem to fall apart around the time change. The biggest thing you can do is to get right back on schedule and strictly stick to it until your little one gets back to their normal self. This could take up to 2 weeks. However, the better rested your little one is going into this transition, the better they will handle it. So, be sure to get them well-rested between now and then.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram @dreamawaysleepco and Facebook at Dream Away Sleep Co. And as always, if you are interested in finding out how you can improve your little one’s sleep, book an Evaluation Call with me to see what is going on and which one of my packages would benefit your family the most.
Until next time,
